Dallas vs. Texas win totals: Do the Cowboys or Longhorns finish with more victories?

The NFL season is getting closer and closer which means one glorious thing, college football is also making its way back to us.

There are a lot of different CFB loyalties here at BTB, but it’s safe to say that some Cowboys fans also root for the in-state Texas Longhorns.

I’ve made it a point to forgive these people as I’m one of the geniuses that supports Texas A&M, but everybody has faults so it’s okay! Being serious, though, there’s obviously a connection between the programs as they’re the most visible ones at their level in the Lone Star State.

CG Technology recently drew up a comparison between the two and released some cross-sport win totals for the Cowboys and Longhorns. If you’re unaware, the concept behind this is very simple. You place a wager on either Dallas or Texas and whichever side you bet on, you’re betting they’ll finish with more wins than the other. If they finish with the same number of wins, it would be a push and you get your money back.

Overall the Longhorns finished 10-4 last season with an exclamation point finish of a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Cowboys finished with 10 wins on the regular season, 11 if you count the playoffs, so things are pretty tight here.

Wescott Eberts from Burnt Orange Nation was kind enough to provide us with some insight on what to expect from the University of Texas this year.

Of course, the professionals know what they’re doing here, so I’ll give a couple reasons why Texas could go over the 9.5 wins and a couple reasons why they could go under.

The win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl certainly sparked a lot of optimism in the Longhorns fan base that hasn’t been typical in recent years. Head coach Tom Herman has the program going in the right direction, Texas signed two top-three recruiting classes in the last two years, and finally has a quarterback in junior Sam Ehlinger, who had a breakout sophomore season that ranks among the best in school history. Combined with a favorable schedule that includes a marquee matchup against LSU at home, a conference that will likely be slightly down this season, a schedule that forces the Horns to leave Texas only twice, and the opportunity to play in the Big 12 Championship game to add another win makes the over an intriguing option.

However, there are some causes for concern. Texas lost eight defensive starters last season, the linebackers are thin and inexperienced, and the cornerbacks are inexperienced, too. It’s not clear if there’s a player who can step up along the defensive line to replace Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Charles Omenihu. And with the transfers of Shane Buechele and Cameron Rising, Ehlinger doesn’t have a proven backup after two seasons in which he missed time because of injuries, partly a result of his aggressive playing style. Can he finally stay healthy and remain true to who he is as a quarterback?

The advanced metrics like Bill Connelly’s S&P+ and ESPN’s FPI don’t like the Longhorns this season as a result of all those departures, so it’s going to be an interesting season on the Forty Acres.

I’ll admit that it’s a little strange to see Texas back in the national conversation (not that they ever really left) because for so long they’ve been somewhat of an afterthought in terms of legitimate teams throughout college football. The reality is that they are (in my best Joe Tessitore voice) back to a degree so you need to approach this with caution if you’re considering placing a wager.

As far as the Cowboys are concerned, 9.5 wins is a very interesting mark to set for them. They obviously were a playoff team last year that experienced success in the postseason, but traditionally they have had issues putting together consecutive seasons of note. They also barely scraped by in a couple of games last season (Detroit, at Atlanta, Philadelphia).

Dallas versus Texas is never something that you get to really measure, but now you have the chance. Choose wisely.